Stroke rehabilitation and recovery should begin as soon as possible.
Stroke rehabilitation, as soon as possible, in the form of body work and exercise is key to optimizing a person’s stroke recovery.
Craniosacral Therapy and energetic unwinding can support the healing and recovery process in a way few other therapies can. These two related therapies are extremely gentle and non-invasive.
Craniosacral therapy and energetic unwinding allow the patient to enter a state of deep relaxation in which the body does all its healing work. This deep state of relaxation is the parasympathetic state that we enter when we fall asleep. It is in this state that the body does its maintenance and repair work.
The vast majority of strokes are due to ischemia, a lack of blood flow to the brain.
Poor blood circulation anywhere in the body increases one’s vulnerability to strokes, be they transient ischemic attacks, silent strokes, or full blown stroke events. Improving blood circulation is absolutely vital to support recovery from a stroke and ward off another stroke in the future.
Craniosacral therapy is particularly well suited to stroke rehabilitation because it improves blood circulation, lymph flow, and nerve conduction by facilitating the relaxation of the muscles and connective tissue, which weaves through and envelops these muscles, as well as blood and lymph vessels, nerves, and meridians (energy pathways of the body). It’s akin to taking off shoes or clothes that are too tight. Once we take them off we can breathe fully again and with ease.
Connective tissue holds all the body parts together.
So it its with the connective tissue (fascia). It’s like a body stocking that keeps every structure, down to the cellular level, well packaged and organized. However, daily wear and tear on the body, as well as little and big traumas to the body, cause the fascia to shorten, tighten, and become sticky, shrinking around the structures they envelop. These structures become hostage to the fascia, losing their freedom of movement. Read more…
The muscles start aching, becoming weaker and less responsive. The blood and lymph vessels are compressed or stretched and have less room to move the blood or lymph. Nerve conduction becomes impaired due to compression or stretching by the connective tissue surrounding them. Add to this built-up plaque from high cholesterol foods, and an injured lining of the blood vessel walls from inflammation and infections, and we have a recipe for disaster, a stroke (cerebrovascular accident).
Craniosacral therapy and energetic help the body to release restrictions in the connective tissue.
Craniosacral therapy will help to release the tension and stickiness of the connective tissue to create more space for the blood vessels and other structures it envelops. This will improve blood and lymph circulation, nerve conduction, and energy flow. However, stroke rehabilitation requires that the patient needs to make lifestyle changes as well, such as eating healthier foods, engaging in moderate exercise, and reducing the sources of stress in his/her life.
Energetic unwinding of the spine, joints & muscles is of invaluable help in the recovery of muscle strength and function, as it focuses on the areas of weakness caused by the stroke.
Energetic unwinding intuitively blends craniosacral therapy, acupressure, and soft tissue work to gently engage the body’s help in the stroke rehabilitation process. This therapy can be done whether the person is awake or asleep because energetic unwinding does all of its work while the person is in the parasympathetic state where the body does its maintenance and repair work and does not require the patient’s active participation.
Herbs can support the healing process as well by improving blood circulation, tonifying the central nervous system, and helping to reduce cholesterol levels.
Healthy nutrition lays the foundation for general health and can assist in the healing process.
Please consult a naturopathic doctor during stroke rehabilitation for the correct use of herbs and nutrition to avoid possible interactions with medications for stroke and other conditions you might be taking.